The traditional postcard from Canada shows a country with incredible snowy landscapes; however, these days the high temperatures in western Canada are felt much more than in some Latin American beaches, such as Puerto Vallarta and Puerto Escondido, in Mexico, and Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, and even in Dubai.
Since last week, people have been sharing through social media, photos of their lives during these high temperatures. The extreme heat has put the Canadian government, but also its neighbor to the south, on alert. And it is that the heat wave hits not only western Canada but also the northwestern states in United States.
The White House has a meeting scheduled to plan how to respond to the risks posed by the conjunction of soaring temperatures and a prolonged drought, which could set off devastating fires to an extent even broader than that reached by wildfires in previous years.
More than 40 records are broken due to high temperatures
More than forty new temperature records were set in British Columbia over the weekend, including the Whistler Ski Resort. And the high pressures that trap hot air in the area.
Environment Canada has issued alerts for British Columbia, Alberta, and parts of Saskatchewan, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. Through a statement, the government agency assured that “a prolonged, dangerous and historic heat wave will persist for the next few days.”
Experts from Environment Canada explain that the rise in thermometers in the country is due to high static pressure, which caused a phenomenon known as “heat dome”. This Sunday, June 27, the city of Lytton, in British Columbia, broke the record for the highest temperature recorded in Canada.
Thermometers reached 46.6 degrees Celsius, surpassing the 45 degrees that were felt in two towns in Saskatchewan in 1937. In total, 65 towns in western Canada broke their temperature records this weekend.
Today, Monday June 28, dozens of schools in Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond and other centers closed as a preventive measure, as well as businesses and offices.
David Phillips, Canada’s Minister of the Environment, issued a statement, warning that the heat wave will continue for a few more days, also affecting the province of Alberta.
Phillips indicated that temperatures are expected to exceed 37 ° in Edmonton and Calgary, which are the most populous cities in that province, and added: “It is hotter in some parts of western Canada than in Dubai.”
Local media indicate that electrical power consumption in British Columbia has skyrocketed. Several cities have set up centers so that people can protect themselves and cool off. And the coronavirus vaccination campaign has been temporarily suspended in some places.
The heat is so extreme in the northwestern United States that some qualifying events for the Tokyo Olympics had to be suspended in Oregon. Portland, the largest city in Oregon, expected to reach 45 ° today Monday, two more than those registered yesterday Sunday at its airport, where the average at this time of year is 27°.
Recommendations in effect
The Canadian authorities recommend the population to spend two to three hours a day in a cool or air-conditioned place, to drink water regularly, without waiting to feel thirsty, and not to leave a child or animal in a car or in a poorly ventilated room. They also recommend to ask about the health status of elderly or sick relatives and, if necessary, accompany them to an air-conditioned place.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States have issued notices reminding that extreme heat kills at least 600 Americans each year. By mid-June, more than 50 million Americans, in eight states, had received an alert from the National Weather Service, as the power grids prepared for the contingency of excess consumption that exceeds their capacity.
Pic from pixabay.com
